A THOUSAND WORDS - Alex Waterhouse-Hayward's blog on pictures, plants, politics and whatever else is on his mind.

The Barber Is Shaved

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Marina Hasselberg - Feb 14 2015 - Photograph Curtis Daily

As a photographer I am rarely in front of my camera or
anybody else’s. The expression often used is, “Who shaves the barber?” In my
case I can safely say that as a man (perhaps a unique unmanly one) I have never grown a
beard or a moustache. I have never wanted to own a motorcycle. Of the latter I
can simply assert that having studied physics and geometry I know why a tripod
is a stable structure. You need three points on the ground. On a motorcycle two
points on the ground are the tires and the third one, invariably, is the rider’s
head.

I must admit with some late shame that my friend John Lekich and I
used to give red roses to our female friends behind the bar and kitchen counter
of the Railway Club. Only now I have caught on that florist red roses don’t
have scent and with my interest in old roses I find them boring almost ugly.

As I realize that my maker and I have an inescapable and perhaps
soon to be finalized engagement I don’t object too much to having my picture taken. Since
I am not in control I can lie back and not worry of all the possible things
that can go wrong in the snapping of a picture.

The picture here with me on the edge could be an accident or
simply the photographer's. It was taken by Portland bassist Curtis Daily who did not inform me when
he snapped the shutter of his identical to mine, Mamiya RB-67 (but much newer)
equipped with the 90mm lens which was the only lens that could accommodate cellist
Marina Hasselberg’s height (she added to the effect with very high heels).

I was there to reflect back some light on Hasselberg’s
fishnets. Daily thinks that photograph is very funny because he says I am
obviously staring at her fishnets. Wouldn’t you?

The look of the image is the result of scanning the peel from
a Fuji Instant 3200 ISO film. It tends to semi solarize (accurately it’s called
the Sabattier Effect). After I scan it I reverse it in Photoshop from the semi
negative to a semi positive. The slightly blue/gray colour of the peel reverses
into the magenta you see here.